[Courthouse News Service] … A study released Tuesday by an independent panel of scientists called the smorgasbord of problems in the delta “wicked” and “complex.” The report, “Challenges Facing the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta” detailed the potential for levee failures that could leave delta water brackish from a sudden salinity intrusion from San Francisco Bay water. It also pins poor delta water quality on increased agricultural and wastewater treatment plant runoff.
California officials said the independent study authored by four scientists is an “urgent call to action.”
“While different stakeholders express strong differences about project options and proposed habitat restoration – doing nothing is worse than anything on the table,” said California Secretary for Natural Resources John Laird in a statement. “We cannot be distracted from that fact. It should motivate us to find solutions together to the complex problems outlined in this report…”